Zoning vs. different cover vs. change transition layer

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
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I started having lower back pain and occasional glute/sciatic pain last year, so I am trying to change up my mattress to find some relief. When the pain started, my build was: 6" individually wrapped coils / (2) 1" medium Polyfoam / 1/2" gel memory foam / 1/2" latex, all enclosed in zipped quilted Eurotop cover. This bed was purchased in 2019. I’ve since been playing with different layers, so my current build is: 6" individually wrapped coils / 1" medium Polyfoam / 2" (19 ILD) talalay latex, all enclosed in zipped quilted Eurotop. This has reduced the pain somewhat, but also introduced a new side edge of hip surface pain and shoulder pain. Me: 5’5 146 lb. female side sleeper.

Mattress materials I have available to play with:
6” side edge support wrapped coils in a quilted Eurotop enclosure with 3" space for foam from bed purchased in 2019 from local manufacturer (Verlo).
(2) 1" medium polyfoam (from 2019, is this too old to use?)
(2) 1" soft polyfoam (2026)
(1) 2” soft (19 ILD) Talalay latex (2026)
I also have 1/2" latex cut down to full size (2019) and 1/2" gel memory foam cut to full size (2019) that I can cut pieces of for zoning if needed.

Things I’ve tried:
1)almost every combo of polyfoam/latex/polyfoam (overstuffed) or polyfoam/latex on top of coils.
2)putting a small pillow at my waist. this improved glute pain significantly
3) unzipping but keeping in place the quilted Eurotop cover - this eliminated the surface edge hip pain, but not the back/glute pain.

Additional options I’m considering:

  1. removing the quilted Eurotop cover and just putting an extra fitted sheet over the top, and depending on results maybe buying a different cover. Is the quilted cover causing too much of a stretched drum effect? Does the fact that it’s a Eurotop help/hurt matters?
  2. upgrade transition layer? Reading lots of posts here tells me I should think about medium Dunlop latex, only I don’t think anyone sells 1", and I already have the 2" talalay latex. My original purchase had 3" total of foam inside the Eurotop, so I assume 3" is all I should put in there. Thoughts on overstuffing?
  3. diy zoning. Because the pillow at my waist seemed to really help but was annoying to move every time I shifted positions, could I put an extra layer (maybe 1 ft wide?) inside the cover? And if so, what material would be best?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

2

Any kind of thin pad can be used in the middle of the bed to provide zoning. Of course it will technically make the bed “unlevel” but can still equalize and help with alignment

3

I wrote a post here recently called topper graveyard but basically I figured out I cannot have latex on top. It seems like all your configs have latex on top.

I’m finally not having pain with 2” serene foam on top of the latex. It is a polyfoam is soft and feels like memory foam but runs cooler and doesn’t create the sinking feeling

Not all polyfoams are the same. Serene feels very unique to me. I don’t need zoning with it even though I needed zoning badly with other toppers

4

Thanks for the feedback! I’m okay with it being unlevel since it seems my waist maybe just needs a little more support, but does it matter where I put the new layer (like between the coils and latex, vs at the top of all the layers)? Also, any idea how thick it should be or if firmness matters? The pillow I tried was a kids pillow, so smaller and flatter than a typical pillow, but still couple inches thick.

5

I think a rug or anything like that could be used, but when i tried it i used a .5" of firm foam between the layers and coils. To help stiffen the response of the coils in that area. It would have a little lesser effect between the layers i believe that .5" of foam had a huge effect. It was too much for me. So even .25" Would have made a big difference

6

Thanks for your feedback, and for pointing me to your post that I had not seen. You’ve given me a few things to consider and try! I had been considering the Dormeo topper (since it’d be returnable) but now I’m not so sure. I have not loved foam because I feel like I melt into it, but I’m intrigued by your description of the serene foam (plus the fact that it’s cool). And I have actually been reusing the same sheets for consistency as I change bed layers, but I will experiment with those now, too. Thanks!

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7

Hi there tstowe,

I wanted to jump in here, not necessarily with a suggestion for a solution to your condition, as you have been offered several thus far, but more of an advisory suggestion. One thing I’d suggest is making the characteristics of the topper materials, such as the foam type, fibers, fill, firmness, resilience, and temperature regulation, your primary consideration. A good return policy is definitely valuable, but I would not choose a topper mainly because it is easy to return.

It’s easy to fall into the rabbit hole of trying topper after topper just to see what happens, when in many cases the likely outcome is fairly predictable based on the topper’s design, the mattress it’s being paired with, and the specific issues you’re trying to solve, whether that’s pressure relief, alignment, sleeping hot, or surface feel. Matching the topper’s properties to your mattress and your needs will usually narrow the field considerably before you ever place an order.

And yes, sheet choice can sometimes have a bigger impact on surface feel and temperature than people expect, so it’s worth experimenting there as well.

Just an observation from what you are experiencing, if I may. I would focus on the cover before changing anything else. The zipped quilted Eurotop is very likely adding surface tension and limiting how well the latex can contour, which can easily translate into both shoulder pressure and a feeling of uneven support through the hips and lower back. The fact that unzipping it already improved the hip pain is a strong sign that the cover is playing a big role in what they are feeling.

At this point I would fully test the mattress without that quilted cover in the system, using just a simple stretch knit cover or even a fitted sheet setup temporarily. If that reduces the shoulder and hip issues, then the solution is likely to replace the cover with something more flexible rather than continuing to tweak the internal layers. Remember, everything between you and the floor matters. How tight the sheets fit, the stretch of the cover, or tautness will affect how the internal layers expand and are more forgiving or not.

Just a thought,

Maverick